The Labor enquirer., 1887-07-23
ON DECK.
Walter Vrooman Gives Bos-
ton Culture the Gold
Shivers.
Plain Truths Told by an Orator In
Eloquent and Enhancing
Language.
Editor Labor ENQUIRER.

fditor LabOr EnQuirer.
Last evening, July 13,a mass meeting
was held in Boston under the management
Of the Socialistic Labor Party, and Walter
vrooman was the principal speaker. His
speech received universal praise for the
clear and concise manner in which he laid
bare many Of the existing difficulties that
are and have been blocking the path OF
the workers.
Mr.. vrooman began by stating that
William the Conquerer stole all the land
titles of England and gave them to few
lords, dukes and counts and their poster
ity, and that this robber title is yet re-
spected and the rent is still paid to the
descendants OF the robbers; that Crom-
well stole all the land in Ireland in SINH
lar manner and its descendants Of these
robbers are still extorting rent from the
Irish people; that land titles in America
are obtained largely from persons sent
here to represent the crowned heads Of
Europe, who gave titles to the land they
had never purchased, but which land they
simply stole by force Of arms from the
original occupants.
He said that all land titles were founded
on robbery, and that such titles ought not
TO be respected. He said hard-working
farmer might produce potatoes enough
by his labor for himself and family for a
year and, just rs he gets them in along
comes n man and demands half of them.
"Why should you have half of thomp says
the farmer. Because" says the landlord,
"I own the land" "Where did you get
your titlei" asked the farmer. Zone Of
my ancestors stole II from one of yours"
replied the landlord. "That settles it,"
said the farmer, "you have n clear title to
half OF all can produce" Do they talk
that wayY Yes. The landlord says, "The
land descended to me from so far back
that the law says my title is perfectly
good The faru or is neither ready nor
able to dispute the law and so gives up
half his years products. Labor adds all
value to the land the landlord adds moth
ing, yet he claims the improvements and
half Of all that is producee not because
he has rendered any equivalent for 1t, for
he has done nothing, but he claims il sim
ply by "hs title" and "by the law"
vrooman said that the landlords having
stole the land made laws that the workers
should pay the rent and raised an army
TO force them to do so. Then the land
lords with their surplus rent built facto-
ries in which the workers were employed
TO earn their own living and profit for
the owners. Those who didn't want
10 build factories and take profits lent
money and took interest. And by this
rent. profit and interest the idle descend
ants of the original thieves are draining
the working people Of the world Of half
they produce, and the working people do
mob see that this IL all trick to get
something for nothing.
cannot pretend to reproduce Vroo-
mans language for he is very close
and terso speaker and drives every con
clusion home. He showed with remarka-
Bile clearness that those who claim to own
She railroads did nothing toward building
them that all the inventing, all the sur
veying, all the mechanical work and all the
labor, calculating and planning was done
by others, yet the claimants call the roads
their own and We still respect the trick by
which they got them. He said the rail-
roads are n natural result OF an advanced
civilization, and II Is absurd for few men
TO claim that they "rightfully own" the
great natural results Of civilization, even
IL they have contributed their share in
producing them. The natural results of
civilization belong to the community and
not affew individuals.
He showed that the railroads are so i'm
portant part of modern civilization that
whoever controls them controls large
portion OF the destinies Of the whole poo
pie, and he showed that IL was not only
foolish but unsafe for the people to allow
their destinies to be owned and controlled
by few sharp, scheming, unscrupulous
and gambling men, who can and do ruin
thousands every day when il suits their
selfish natures to do so. He showed that
the people must take the factors that rule
their destinies under public control and
. keep them 80, and that this is the doc
trine of Socialism.
lie showed that the Standard Oil Com
pOny by manipulating the railroads had
ruined all other oil companies, and that
few bonanza farmers had by similar ac-
Non seriously damaged thousands Of
oher farmers.
Phe character of Vro9man's speech
wA, to show that all the/ great concerns
ofAe people had been under the name of
p'oArty rights, and its rents, profits and
inte'Ast were hlched from the people and
lodged in the hands of few to the great
damage and danger of the public as
whole ,Ad IN tbs manila ;ndividpaliv